Wednesday, May 28

(The following edited content was supplied by the NCAA in a news release.)

DEFENDING NATIONAL CHAMPION Alabama and Oklahoma State will face off today for the 2014 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Team Championship. No. 2 seed Alabama advanced to the title match for the third straight year by virtue of wins on Tuesday over No. 7 SMU (3 and 2) in the quarterfinals and No. 3 LSU (4 and 1) in the semifinals, while No. 4 Oklahoma State scored wins over No. 5 Georgia Tech (4 and 0) and No. 1 Stanford (3 and 2).

This will mark the third straight national championship match play final for Alabama, which won the title in 2013, defeating Illinois, 4-1 in the final round of match play held at The Capital City Club, Crabapple Course in Atlanta, Ga. Oklahoma State will be looking to win its 11th men’s golf national championship.

Championship match play will begin at 2:10 p.m. CT tomorrow at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kansas. Golf Channel will provide live coverage from 4 to 7 p.m. CT. Golf Central will have pre-championship coverage beginning at 12 p.m. CT.

Tuesday, May 27

Shelley Mayfield told me, "I played a lot of golf with Ben Hogan ... maybe more than anyone else." In this series, I share Mayfield's memories of Hogan as a golfer and a person. Along the way, I'll tell you about Mayfield and his long and rewarding life in golf. Read INTRODUCTION, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Part 5.

BEN HOGAN WAS A PROUD MAN who as the years went by sometimes hid a weakness.

“He absolutely loved quail hunting,” Shelley Mayfield said. “He was a good shot, too. As he aged a little bit, I think it was his right eye where he couldn’t see well enough.”

(Actually, it was Hogan’s left eye that was impaired from a near-fatal car accident in February 1949.)

“He had to have a chauffeur. As a matter of fact, if he was invited out at night—I’d invited him a time or so. ‘Come on out.’

“I’d bought a little farm north of Dallas. I’d really moved out there because I liked the country life. He’d keep putting me off.

“I said, ‘Why the heck don’t you come and have dinner with us sometime? I want you to come see my farm.’

“And he said, ‘Alright, I’m going to tell you, but I don’t want you to tell anybody else. You understand?’

“I said, ‘Sure.’

“He said, ‘I’m losing my sight in my [left] eye. If I go out there, I’d have to get a chauffeur. Then word would start getting around and things like that. I don’t want to do that.’

“I said, ‘OK. I won’t bother you any more with it.’”

* * *

Seldom seen by the public, there was a fun-loving side to Ben Hogan. Jimmy Demaret, an accomplished tour player who often partnered with Hogan, was a favorite companion.

“He loved Demaret,” Mayfield said.
“For instance, when we went on this quail hunt, he said, ‘Let’s call Demaret and see if he can come join us. He’s a chuckle every minute or so.’ He loved a good joke and to have a good time.

“He loved to have a few drinks. I’m sure you heard he got to where he drank an awful lot. He did. But I think the reason he did was that he didn’t like to take pills. And he was in a lot of pain a lot of times, his shoulder and his knee. He did that for pain, I think.

“He’d go to work at 10 o’clock in the morning at the factory in Fort Worth and get off at 12, go to Shady Oaks and order a martini in a big glass.”

This was after the regular game every other week had ended, Mayfield said.

“It was later on, as he got older. When your bones start hurting you, they hurt much worse later on in life. I’m sure that’s the reason he got to drinking as much as he did.

“But he didn’t like pills. He told me once, ‘You know, those pills will do about as much harm as they will good.’ I’m sure he was right.”

* * *

Shelley Mayfield recalled why he decided to leave the PGA Tour and settle into life as a club pro, eventually taking the job at Brook Hollow in Dallas and beginning a long friendship with Ben Hogan.

“In ’56, I won the Baton Rouge. And I came close in a lot of others. I never had the thinking in my mind like Tiger Woods, or Jack Nicklaus, or Ben Hogan. [Their mindset was] ‘Every tournament I enter I’m going to win.’ I just thought, man, I want to beat these guys, I know I can beat these guys, and all I want to do is really prove that I can.

“I was making good money. I didn’t have any worries there. It was more money than I ever made. But I didn’t have the desire to win every tournament. Some people do, like the real champions do.

“When Claude Harmon called me and told me about the club at Meadowbrook, I was getting along in age, 32 or 33 years old, and my wife was just about the same age. I know the thought was in her mind, my mind, about time to settle down and raise a family. And I loved club work. I really did. I was very, very fortunate to be associated with some really fine people at some fine clubs, which I’m most appreciative of.

“I was making good money out on the tour, probably was only going to get better because I won a tournament a year after I left. But I just felt like it was time to settle down and start a family. I like kids anyway, and enjoyed having them and raising them. I didn’t have that many. Only had two daughters, but they turned out to be wonderful daughters.”

* * *

Ben Hogan helped Shelley Mayfield with his induction in the Texas Golf Hall of Fame in 1992.

“He was very instrumental,” Mayfield said.
“He wrote a wonderful letter in my favor for me to be accepted, which I appreciated very much. I just thought he was a wonderful man.

“A lot of people didn’t like him. The ‘Wee Ice Man’—he was that—because it was simply his nature that if he was bothered by anybody he’d lose his concentration on the golf course.”

Mayfield died on March 22, 2010. The USGA wrote, “Mayfield was widely respected as a consummate gentleman who was modest about his many achievements.”

Monday, May 26

Brian Keogh is a golf correspondent for The Irish Sun and a contributor to The Irish Times, Golf Digest Ireland and other golf publications. The following excerpt from Brian’s Irish Golf Desk is used with permission.

Rory McIlroy

RORY MCILROY APPEARED TO TRY to keep the celebrations to a minimum as he mourned the end of his relationship with Caroline Wozniacki. But he could hardly play it down for long after a stunning closing 66 saw him come from seven shots behind Thomas Bjorn and claim the BMW PGA by a stroke from a brilliant Shane Lowry.

It was a memorable day for Ireland as the 25-year old Ulsterman became the first Irish golfer to win the British PGA since Harry Bradshaw won at Llandudno in 1958.

"It's been 18 months since I won on The European Tour and to win the flagship event, I could not have asked for any more," McIlroy said.

"I knew coming in here I was playing well. I struggled a little on Friday but played great over the weekend. I was a little fortunate that some of the guys ahead of me made mistakes and I took advantage of it.

"My caddie JP (Fitzgerald) set me the target of 15 under today. I didn't quite get there but 14 under was enough. I really wanted to win before going into the second major of the season and I could not have asked for a better way to prepare."

Bjorn came unstuck with a triple bogey seven at the sixth and limped to a 75 to finish tied third with Luke Donald (70) on 12 under as McIlroy set the target at 14 under with a birdie-birdie finish.

Lowry had led by three strokes after starting he back nine with three straight birdies. But he double bogeyed the 13th and followed a two at the 14th with a bogey at the 15th to get to 12 under again. It proved to be a bridge too far for the Offaly man as McIlroy covered the back nine in a wonder, five under 32 to reach 14 under.

Lowry needed an eagle at the last to force a playoff but ended up needing a 60 footer for birdie just to take solo second with a closing 68. Incredibly, he made the putt worth an extra €173,564, taking home €527,770 to move from 165th to 15th in Race to Dubai.

After claiming € 791,660 McIlroy is now second to Bjorn in the money list with €1,295,825 from six starts.

Brian Keogh covers golf for The Irish Sun and contributes to a variety of golf publications. Pay him a visit at Irish Golf Desk.

Friday, May 23

THE YOUTH MOVEMENT CONTINUES on the LPGA Tour. England's Charley Hull, 18, is atop the leaderboard at the Airbus LPGA Classic. Hull fired a 65 in the first round and is currently at 12 under (five under so far today), two strokes ahead of Jessica Korda. The second round is in progress. Many players in the field haven't teed off.

Young Hull got into the tournament via a sponsor exemption.

"I try not to think about it too much," Hull said, "because I've got the wind at my back now. I just keep on playing and hopefully I can get more wins and get my card for next year."

The Airbus LPGA Classic is being played on the RTJ Golf Trail, Magnolia Grove, The Crossings in Mobile, Alabama. The par-72 layout measures 6,521 yards.

The final two rounds will be televised on Golf Channel from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Thursday, May 22

THE LONGEST SHOT: Jack Fleck, Ben Hogan, and Pro Golf's Greatest Upset at the 1955 U.S. Open was released a few weeks prior to the 2012 U.S. Open at the Olympic Club, where 57 years earlier the unknown Fleck stunned the legend Hogan in one of sports' greatest upsets. Sadly, Jack is gone now, passing away in March at the age of 92.

That book, which took me five years to write, sell and publish, was a major impetus for keeping this blog going. As I've said before, I never could have anticipated what was in store when I started this blog in 2005 under the pen name "The Armchair Golfer." I only intended to dabble and get a feel for blogging.

The publication and reception of THE LONGEST SHOT provided many personal highlights. I'll name a few. Favorable reviews, including the New York Times. Media opportunities, including the Golf Channel during U.S. Open week, an exclusive excerpt at Golf.com and a Q&A with Geoff Shackelford. Later that year Booklist named THE LONGEST SHOT as one of the Top 10 Sports Books of 2012.

The peak moment, though, was likely when Jack Fleck, along with Billy Casper, was interviewed by NBC's Bob Costas prior to the final round coverage of the 2012 U.S. Open. (See above video.)

I anticipated the interview because an assistant to Costas met with me at Olympic to talk about Jack. He and Costas wanted to know about the oldest living U.S. Open champion, and solicited my ideas for questions that would evoke good responses during the interview segment.

However, I had no idea that Costas would hold up my book on national television. That doesn't usually happen. I was shocked and thrilled. Wow! I couldn't believe it. I remember thinking at the time, "If nothing else happens, it's been a great run."

Giveaway

To be included in a random drawing for an autographed copy of THE LONGEST SHOT, please email your name and address to armchairgolfer@gmail.com.

P.S. Of course, only one of you will win, so please consider picking up a copy for yourself or a family member or a friend. Hey, Father's Day is just around the corner.

P.P.S. I'm excited to tell you there's another one on the way later this year. More on that topic soon.

Wednesday, May 21

Shelley Mayfield told me, "I played a lot of golf with Ben Hogan ... maybe more than anyone else." In this series, I share Mayfield's memories of Hogan as a golfer and a person. Along the way, I'll tell you about Mayfield and his long and rewarding life in golf. Read INTRODUCTION, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.

Ben Hogan in early days.

BEN HOGAN MAY HAVE BEEN a mystery to others, but that’s not how Shelley Mayfield saw him. They spent many hours together, on and off the golf course.

“You say, ‘What kind of man he is?” Mayfield said.

“To a fault, he was absolutely honest, inasmuch as if you said what do you think about this fella here, he’d tell you whether he thought he was a crook or whether he thought he was a nice guy. He’d say it in front of people.”

There were social occasions, including one memorable evening at Brook Hollow.

“Arthur and his wife invited Ben and Valerie as well as my wife and myself to an affair there at Brook Hollow,” Mayfield said.

“Later on we went down in what they call the Oak Room, or whatever it was. There was a band down there, and they were dancing.”

As Mayfield recalled, Arthur and his wife were excellent dancers.

“It was the start of [dancing in which] you don’t put your arm around each other. You just stand there and shake your shoulders and your arms up and down and move your feet.

“About the third dance, Hogan just stood up and said, ‘Valerie, we’re here with a bunch of kooks. Let’s get out of here.’ And he and Valerie left.”

Mayfield chuckled.

“He couldn’t stand men with long hair. He could be very rank in his description of people. He said, ‘You drive up behind somebody in a car and you can’t tell whether they’re a man or a woman. You know, these SOBs they’re letting their hair grow down longer than women are.’

“He had something against that. And every time I let my hair get a little long, he let me know I needed a haircut. He disliked it very much. He was just absolutely straightforward honest as he could be.”

* * *

Shelley Mayfield

Shelley Mayfield won the 1954 San Francisco Open. Not sanctioned by the PGA, it was not an official tour win, but it was a good win.

“Everybody that was at the Tournament of Champions in Vegas went right there and plus a bunch of other people,” Mayfield said. “So it had a heck of a field. I know it boiled down to [Cary] Middlecoff and I coming down to the wire, and I finally nosed him out by one shot.”

Mayfield was no longer playing the tour when he arrived for the 1955 U.S. Open, where Jack Fleck stunned Ben Hogan.

“I’d left the tour, taken a job at a club, hit ten practice balls up till that time,” he said. “I was too busy getting things organized around the club. Everything was new.

“I was not prepared for that ‘55 Open, even though I played well. I think I was just coming into my peak when I left [the tour], which was alright, was fine. I’d proved my point. Not every time. But at times I could beat anybody. That’s the way I felt, wanting to prove to myself that I could.”

Still to come: More insights on Ben Hogan, hiding a weakness, Jimmy Demaret and more.

Tuesday, May 20

MISTAKE-FREE GOLF: First Aid for Your Golfing Brain (St. Martin's Press), a new book by Dr. Bob Winters, is available from major booksellers. Drawing from interviews with golf stars such as 2013 U.S. Open champion Justin Rose, Hall of Famers Raymond Floyd and Nick Price, Michelle Wie and others, MISTAKE-FREE GOLF instructs golfers of all abilities how to specifically correct their mental mistakes and overcome their lack of confidence. Read Part 1.

In this concluding installment of a Q&A series, Dr. Winters addresses another common golf anxiety.

Dr. Bob Winters: Getting off of the first tee box with a solid shot is one of the best harbingers of a good day ahead. However, for many golfers the first tee shot is filled with heightened anxiety and fears of what may go wrong. Golfers will step onto the first tee and become so worried about what other people will think of them that they become very anxious and unable to perform to their natural capacity.

This worrisome fretting that we have when others are watching is termed scientifically as Social Evaluation Anxiety. It happens when we place too much emphasis and importance on what others think about us and renders us incapable of performing to a level that would be otherwise expected as a natural occurrence. Because we are so worried about not failing or embarrassing ourselves in front of others we tend to go into a panic mode and interfere with a process that has been overlearned via practice and repetition.

When we refer to first-tee anxiety, it is highly linked to the anxiety one feels whenever he or she is about to give a speech in front of a group of people. Performance anxiety tends to show up dramatically in public speaking. The reason for the fear is that people are afraid of social censure or rebuke. Whenever speakers or performers are unable to cope with the pressure of appearing stupid, inept or risking their reputation with poor results, fear and dread are paramount.

The key in golf to a successful opening tee shot is to build a solid philosophy about what it is that you want to DO versus what you want to AVOID. Discipline and adherence to a solid starting strategy is vital to a successful day on the links.

Dr. Bob Winters

I think the first component to success for the opening tee shot starts long before you head to the first tee. It is important that you create a mental philosophy that TODAY is about YOU and no one else!

You must train and discipline yourself to have a strategy that suggests that you are going to play for you and play the way that you know you can play.

In reality, no one really cares about whether you have a great day or not. They are too busy worrying about themselves to focus any energy on you.

Although this might sound a bit harsh and unfriendly, it will still be the truth. So, your first priority is to get yourself ready mentally and emotionally to play for yourself and to enjoy your day on the links, good or bad. But by giving yourself permission to enjoy your day from the beginning gives you a good chance to see how good you can become. After all, it is your time and your dollar invested. You might as well make the most of it without the burden of trying to impress others.

Monday, May 19

TODAY IS MONDAY, MAY 19, and Australian Adam Scott is No. 1, according to the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). Scott, out of action this past week, slipped by Tiger Woods, who is out of action indefinitely. Woods had held the top spot for 60 consecutive weeks.

(Please note that the above widget updates automatically. So if you visit this post in the days, weeks and years ahead, you will see new rankings.)

Scott is the 17th player to be ranked No. 1 since the inception of the OWGR. The 2013 Masters champion sounded ho-hum about the No. 1 thing.

"I hope I'm keeping myself in a similar kind of position for awhile. But I haven't really thought about it too much. I'm really just into the process of trying to get my game better all the time. Pretty much wins takes care of all the rankings and all the questions..."

Scott said he'd rather win the U.S. Open than be No. 1. Sure. But being No. 1 isn't a terrible milestone, especially since he doesn't still have the major "monkey" on his back after his Masters victory.

Poor Lee Westwood and Luke Donald. They had to answer all those questions about being No. 1 without a major.

TIGER WOODS, DURING AN INTERVIEW with Golf Channel's Damon Hack, said that rehabilitation from his back injury is going slowly. Tiger is chipping and putting, but he has yet to hit any full shots. Tiger said he doesn't know when he'll return to tournament play.

"It's not really in my hands," he said.

Rather, it's up to the doctors and the trainers.

"I've got to get permission from them before I can come back."

Tiger described the recovery process as "slow" and "tedious."

"I've got to make sure I do it right," he said.

Tiger also explained that this injury is different from his knee and Achilles tendon problems.

"I could play through those. This one, I just can't do it. Back injuries are no joke."

Thursday, May 15

(The following edited content was supplied by Golf Channel in a news release.)

The Champions Tour hosts its first major of the 2014 season this week with the Regions Tradition from Shoal Creek, Ala. This is The PGA Tour heads to Texas for the HP Byron Nelson Championship. World Golf Hall-of-Famer Juli Inkster makes her Golf Channel on-air debut as a course reporter this week at the Kingsmill Championship in Virginia. Sergio Garcia headlines the European Tour’s Open de Espana.

Major Offering: The Champions Tour presents its first major of 2014 with the Regions Tradition from Shoal Creek. The Senior PGA Championship gets underway next week from Michigan, the Tour’s second major in as many weeks.

Frost Defends: David Frost defends his title this week after securing a one-shot victory over Fred Couples last year.

Wednesday, May 14

Shelley Mayfield told me, "I played a lot of golf with Ben Hogan ... maybe more than anyone else." In this series, I share Mayfield's memories of Hogan as a golfer and a person. Along the way, I'll tell you about Mayfield and his long and rewarding life in golf. Read INTRODUCTION, Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

Jack Burke Jr.

ON TOUR, SHELLEY MAYFIELD OFTEN TRAVELED with Jack Burke Jr., another Texan and a Hall of Famer, and Lew Worsham, the 1947 U.S. Open champion.

“It was a very difficult thing in a way, because we traveled it by car,” Mayfield said. “And we did so much driving, like from Tucson to San Antonio. That’s got to be over 1,000 miles. You finish Sunday and you’re starting on Thursday. That’s at least a day and a half of travel.”

It got old fast for Mayfield, a family man who preferred home life to being on the road.

“I didn’t like the traveling part, living out of a suitcase, a new bed, a new hotel or motel every week. I liked coming home, putting my feet up, having a drink and playing with the kids.”

* * *

Travel was just one of many differences on tour in the 1950s. For example, in those earlier days, with few exceptions, caddies were local men who worked at the clubs where the pros showed up for tournaments.

“Sometimes the caddie was pretty good and sometimes he didn’t know anything,” Mayfield said. “I don’t ever recall one time in my life asking a caddie, ‘How does this putt break?’ Never.

“These caddies were just kind of locals. They were not professional people at all like they are now. Ask them about a club. I don’t know? It must be some kind of iron. I don’t think it’s a wood. Or, it’s a long way. You got no help there at all.”

With today’s caddies, exact yardages and more, that’s all changed, Mayfield offered. So have golf courses.

“The courses are in such better shape now than they were,” he said. “Because [in those days] the first thing that you looked at after you drove off the tee was how is the ball sitting. What kind of lie do you have? Is it kind of in a depression, or is it sitting nice on the fairway? Then you start making the judgment of the distance and the club. As you walk up, you’re working on the distance. You don’t have to think of anything like that at all anymore, which is all right. It’s the same for everybody. It just seems like it has taken away so much from the character of the game.”

* * *

Shelley Mayfield told me a travel tale that involved Sam Snead and Johnny Bulla, and the long, lonely stretch of highway between Tucson, Arizona, and San Antonio, Texas.

“It was the Tucson Open followed by the San Antonio Open, years ago,” Mayfield said. “It was about a thousand mile run, and you left usually immediately after your round in Tucson and got a hunk of the driving done so you could get there the next day. You drove on Sunday night.

“Johnny Bulla and Sam Snead were traveling together in the same car, and I think Johnny Bulla was driving and Sam said, ‘I’m tired. I’m going to go in the back seat and go to sleep.’ Each one would drive 300 miles, stop and fill up the gas, and then let the other one drive 300 miles. That’s usually what happened.

“So Johnny Bulla drove the first 300 miles. And he was getting worried the tank was low, and he’s out there in west Texas. Man, there’s not many gas stations or towns there. He passed this station-looking-thing on the road, looked at it and it looked like there was one little dim light in it. He’d almost gone by it, so he made a u-turn and circled back in there. And sure enough, this guy was just closing the station up. He stopped him, and he said he needed the tank full of gas, and the guy was happy to oblige him for it.

“He filled up his gas, and woke up Sam, and said, ‘Sam, I’ve got you filled up with gas, and now you get out of the back seat and get behind the wheel and I’ll go back in the back seat.’ Unbeknownst to Sam, he’d made a u-turn, and three hours later the next lights he saw were Tucson, Arizona. You can imagine what that brought on.

“Can you believe that? Six hundred miles out of the way.”

Mayfield chuckled.

“It’s supposedly a true story.”

Still to come: More insights on Ben Hogan, the man, and playing the tour.

Tuesday, May 13

MISTAKE-FREE GOLF: First Aid for Your Golfing Brain (St. Martin's Press), a new book by Dr. Bob Winters, goes on sale today and is available from major booksellers. Drawing from interviews with golf stars such as 2013 U.S. Open champion Justin Rose, Hall of Famers Raymond Floyd and Nick Price, Michelle Wie and others, MISTAKE-FREE GOLF instructs golfers of all abilities how to specifically correct their mental mistakes and overcome their lack of confidence.

In this first part of a Q&A series, Dr. Winters addresses a common golf anxiety.

Q. During competitions or even playing with friends in a weekend match, I never play as well as I think I should. Why do I underperform to my real talent? Am I falling victim to pressure?

Dr. Bob Winters: This is a common occurrence for many golfers. Almost everyone that plays in competitions or with others often feel that they "do not perform to their true golfing potential." They often tell me that they feel like "over-motivated underachievers." That is, they put so much effort into their training and practice but fail to see the fruits of their labor in lower scores and finished outcomes when playing with others or in a tournament situation. This lack of playing well often results in frustration, disappointment and anger. It seems the harder they try the worse it gets!

You have to ask yourself, what is pressure and where does it come from? How does it affect you?

These are serious questions for introspection and self-analysis for sure. The reasons for one's feelings of anxiety may come from a number of sources. But, more than anything, you must dismiss the result or the end value of a shot. You must let go of outcome or result thinking.

A key component of playing to your true potential is that you focus on executing your shot according to your decision plan. You must remember and adhere to the task. Your task is to hit the ball where you desire it to go. The pressure that we feel almost always comes from within. Pressure comes from YOU. Often, we want things so badly that we tend to get into our own way and suffer from wanting it badly and trying too hard.

I call these self-imposed afflictions "wantism and tryosity."

These afflictions show up because we put added pressure on ourselves because we are trying hard to impress our playing partners and also to avoid looking inept or incompetent. These are some serious performance inhibitors that will always hold you back.

Dr. Bob Winters

So, the remedy is this: Dismiss the worried thoughts from your mind and take charge of what you can control. Focus on your structured routine and take charge of your one shot situation. Slow down your breathing. As you step into and address your ball, insure that you are doing it at a controlled, yet leisurely pace. Do not rush yourself or make quick movements in order to get the shot over with or become too excited. Pace yourself as you walk into the address position. Make sure that you are aiming and aligning yourself to your intended target. This will help to insure a feeling of confidence. Once you have done your aim and alignment, simply take a final last look at your target and bring your eyes back to the ball and swing away without hesitation. Above all else, have one simple cue or swing image. Do not clutter your mind with over-instruction or too much self-direction. Simply aim your club and align your body and swing. Complete a full backswing and get the club set and then make the transition and fire.

The great Jack Nicklaus once told me that whenever he had a big shot and he knew the outcome was crucial, he focused exclusively on completing his backswing before he made his move back into the ball. So, the essential part is that you step into the ball with a specific action plan about what you want TO DO with your shot and make a full swing and accept the results.

Monday, May 12

GOLF IS AN ODD GAME. If hitting the shots isn't hard enough, how about all the time that elapses in between playing them? That's the bulk of the game. It messes with your head, whether you're an amateur or Martin Kaymer.

Kaymer had a four-shot lead on the back nine at The Players Championship, playing near flawless golf during the final round. Then the horn sounded late on Sunday afternoon. A 90-minute rain delay followed. Goodbye momentum. Hello demons.

"It is always very difficult to come back after a little break," Kaymer told NBC's Roger Maltbie. "Obviously, you see the leaderboard, you see where you are. When you are playing the first 14 holes, you just keep going and I played really, really well. And then you are really disappointed when they called it, and obviously there was a reason for it."

When play resumed, veteran Jim Furyk putted out on the 18th green for a 66. He was the leader in the clubhouse at 12 under. Kaymer was 15 under with four holes to play, but that changed within minutes. In Kaymer's words, he returned "a little cold."

The 2010 PGA champion promptly made a double bogey at 15. The lead was 1 with three holes to play. Welcome to Chokey Town.

"I made a couple of wrong decisions on 15," he said. "You give yourself a chance for par. You don't need to be that aggressive and try to go for it."

At the par-5 16th, a birdie hole, Kaymer walked off with a par. "And then on 16, you've got to chip it. It was not the right decision."

Kaymer was quick to add, "But a big putt on 17." Ah, the 17th, that watery graveyard of so many would-be Players champions, saved the 29-year-old German from collapse after his tee shot nearly went kerplunk. He somehow snaked in a 30-foot par putt to walk to the 18th tee with a one-shot edge.

"That is one wild par, that is all I can tell you," said NBC golf analyst Johnny Miller.

Kaymer then bravely made a scrambling par on the tough finishing hole to complete a gutty comeback, his first PGA Tour win in nearly four years.

Kaymer is now in select company, one of only four players to win The Players Championship, a major and a World Golf Championship. The other three are Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott. The former world No. 1 player moved to No. 28 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Friday, May 9

(The following edited content was supplied by the PGA of America in a news release.)

TRADITIONALLY, DADS HAVE SPENT FATHER'S DAY out on the golf course. The PGA of America believes that Mother's Day—and every day—is perfect for moms to tee it up, too.

The PGA has dubbed May as "Welcome to Golf Month" to highlight programs being offered to women, families and others interested in learning the game of golf by PGA/LPGA Professionals across the country.

"I never imagined myself playing anything besides mini-golf, but after my first lesson I was hooked," said Auerswald. "My kids and I enjoyed ourselves and can't wait to get back to play more. We'll even take my husband next time. Playing golf as a family is an amazing way to get outdoors, have fun, and get some exercise. Walking around nine holes adds up to a lot of steps!"

The PGA—and the golf industry as a whole—recognizes the need for golf to be more welcoming and, through programs like Get Golf Ready and PGA Junior League Golf, they are breaking down the barriers.

"Approximately 20 percent of golfers are female and only 16 percent of all rounds played are by women…and that's not enough,” said Sandy Cross, the PGA’s Director of Women's & New Market Initiatives. "The PGA of America is focused on inviting women to play and ensuring they feel welcome when they come to a golf facility. We want to implement programs that not only introduce women to golf in a comfortable setting but keep them coming back for more."

Get Golf Ready is the flagship program for player development. With five group lessons offered starting at $99 at most facilities, Get Golf Ready is designed to get golfers from the lesson tee to the golf course.

Thursday, May 8

(The following edited content was supplied by Golf Channel in a news release.)

NBC Sports Group will dedicate nearly 100 hours to live programming surrounding THE PLAYERS Championship, including 33 hours of live tournament coverage on Golf Channel and NBC. Golf Channel's Live From THE PLAYERS will include 43 hours of live comprehensive news coverage and tournament analysis both on-site at TPC Sawgrass and from Golf Channel's studios. Morning Drive also will dedicate 20 hours of live news coverage around the tournament.

Shelley Mayfield told me, "I played a lot of golf with Ben Hogan ... maybe more than anyone else." In this series, I share Mayfield's memories of Hogan as a golfer and a person. Along the way, I'll tell you about Mayfield and his long and rewarding life in golf. Read INTRODUCTION, Part 1, and Part 2.

A Shelley Mayfield putter.

WITH BEN HOGAN IN FORT WORTH and Shelley Mayfield in Dallas, the game was on.

“I remember the first time I played with Hogan at Brook Hollow,” Mayfield said.

“The 3rd hole was a dogleg left, and it’s really a 3-wood and about a 6-iron or a 5-iron, it could be a 4-iron hole, and the green is sitting down well below you. Sometimes you can’t see the pin on the green.

“Hogan, when he started to hit his second shot, kept squatting and looking, squatting and looking. It didn’t dawn on me at the time, but he hit his shot, and I think he hit a 4-iron, but he should have hit a 5-iron, and he hit right at the back edge of the green, right by a marker pin, a pin that they placed off the back edge of the green to show you where the green was. He thought that was the pin, so that tells you what kind of judgment of distance he had.

“He was like a machine.”

That first Brook Hollow round sparked another memory of Hogan’s prowess.

“He—which I never had any ability to do at all myself—he would say 278 will win this tournament. And believe me, it wasn’t over one or two shots away. I don’t know how he could predict it like that, but he could.

“Today, as I think back, that may have cost him a few tournaments. He was always so positive about everything. When he said 278 will win this tournament, he put that in his mind and I’m going to shoot 278 or 277, and when he did that somebody might shoot 276 or 275.

“But who knows?"

* * *

Shelley Mayfield played the professional tour for a few years in the mid 1950s.

“When I went out in ‘53,” Mayfield said, “I won the St. Paul Open that same year, in July.

“I played a couple winter tours. I went out in ‘48 and I couldn’t even qualify for a tournament until I got to San Antonio. By then I knew you got to find a job and find out how to play the game. You’ve got to build two or three steps higher than where you were. I was a good player, but those guys out there could beat my brains out.

“So I was lucky enough to find a job at Winged Foot with Claude Harmon. I worked all summer there, with Claude.

“Claude said, ‘Shelley, you know you’re not ready yet to go back out on tour. Why don’t you come down to Seminole and be my assistant down there this winter?’

“So I said, ‘That’s good. I’d like to do that.’

“That was a great thing for me because we had to go to work at 8 o’clock in the morning and we got off at dark. But nobody showed up until about noon. I mean, one or two people. Nobody. So that left me from eight to 12 to practice.

“Claude said, “I don’t want any of my assistants hanging around the golf shop. I want them either on the practice tee, playing golf, or giving a lesson.’ “He said, ‘I want good players as assistants.’

“At that time, that was unique. So he had no problem at all with me practicing four hours every morning. That kind of set the stage.

“Then I got my own job the following year at a small club called Rockaway Hunting Club on Long Island. All it had was an 18-hole golf course.

“Of course, Winged Foot was a [Albert] Tillinghast course. Rockaway Hunting was a Tillinghast course. Meadowbrook was a Tillinghast course. Actually, it wasn’t when I was there because they had just run the freeway through the old Meadowbrook and moved it over. That’s how I got to know Dick Wilson, and built the new Meadowbrook golf course. And then Brook Hollow—the only clubs I ever associated with were Tillinghast courses.

“I went to work there at Rockaway Hunting and was there for three years, just a wonderful little club, wonderful members. They couldn’t have been nicer. I practiced late every evening. They all went to their parties and things fairly early. That left me two or three hours every evening to practice. I honed up my game. By the time I left to go on the tour, believe me, I was ready. I knew how to play golf.

“It took me about five months, but I won my first tournament. I should have won the week before. I guess it was just because of lack of experience.”

Monday, May 5

I have to say some of the detail—both professional and personal—is kind of amazing considering the tight-lipped nature of many of his media conferences. Tiger so often comes across as a reluctant talker, as if the goal is to give out as little information as possible.

But today at his site Tiger talked—er, wrote—about seemingly everything, including putting contests with son Charlie and how his home greens with sand-filled holes are running about 13 on the Stimpmeter.

Tiger began by expressing his regrets about missing this week's Players Championship, where he is the defending champion. And then he got to what we all want to know:

My recovery from microdiscectomy surgery for a pinched nerve in my back is coming along, but it's a very slow process. I'm still sore. Not from the procedure itself but the incision. I just need to get back to my day-to-day activities, and that's it.
One reassuring thing from my medical exam is I have zero arthritic changes whatsoever. I've kept myself in very good shape over the years, and it has paid off. We knew going into this procedure that it really helps to be strong, especially in my glutes and my abs. I was strong in both departments, and that helps with the recovery and rehab, and you're able to come back faster.
I made the decision to have surgery because physically I just couldn't make a golf swing. That pretty much sums it up.

When will Tiger be back?

As for my return to golf, I really don't know. I'm doing everything I can and listening to my doctors and working on a strength program, and then we just have to see how my back is. Some people heal up in three months, some people take four months, some people take longer. I just don't know.

What is Tiger doing right now?

I haven't used a sand wedge yet. I've just done putting and chip-and-runs using the same length of motion. I haven't really rotated yet. As far as taking a full swing, I have conference calls with my doctors every couple of weeks to see how my progress is and just kind of chart it out from there. Basically, you just follow a program. It's tedious because it's little rehab stuff, but you still have to do it. That's where I think the experiences of having gone through the surgeries in the past have really helped because you have to lay the foundation down first before you can do the more arduous activities and then return to form. I'm walking and able to cycle now and started swimming last week.

Will Tiger have to change his swing again?

Once I begin swinging a club again, I'm not sure if I will have to make any changes to protect my back; that's up to Sean Foley and me on what we do. As far as limitations, it's a building process, just like when I came back from my knee and Achilles injuries. You start from the green and work your way back: putting, chipping, pitching, wedging, mid-irons, long irons, woods and eventually playing. That's all a process and takes time. We have to make sure my back heals fine and I have the strength and mobility going forward.

Tiger went on to say, "I hope to be back this summer, but I just don't know when."

Friday, May 2

WHEN A PGA TOUR PLAYER opens with a round of 80, he might want to check out of the hotel, scan flights and possibly reconsider his line of work. Good for many of us, an 80 is an embarrassing number for a veteran of the world's best pro golf tour.

But that's what Brendon de Jonge had on his scorecard after his first trip around Quail Hollow Club in the Wells Fargo Championship.

He carded nines of 39 and 41 (I'd take that!) that included 11 pars, six bogeys and a double bogey. The native of Zimbabwe hit a little more than half the fairways, but less than half the greens in regulation (44%). He had 34 putts.

De Jonge didn't expect to be around for the weekend. Why would he after that mess?

But Friday was a new day, a new start, a new round.

During the second round, de Jonge made nine pars, eight birdies and an eagle. It added up to 62, which tied the course record. He hit nearly 80% of the fairways and more than 70% of the greens. His putter got out of the doghouse. Just 22 putts on Friday. He will stick around to play another two days.

Thursday, May 1

(The following edited content was supplied by Golf Channel in a news release.)

Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy headline the field at the Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte, N.C. World No. 1 Inbee Park will defend her title this week at the North Texas LPGA Shooutout presented by JTBC. The Champions Tour also is in Texas for the Insperity Invitational. Saturday's second round telecast will include a special "Greats of Golf" scramble event, featuring Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Johnny Miller among others, with Arnold Palmer serving as the honorary chairman.

Ernst Defends: Derek Ernst defeated David Lynn on the first playoff hole to capture his first-career PGA TOUR victory last year.

Quail Hollow Course Updates: Course architect Tom Fazio has implemented a number of changes to Quail Hollow Club over the course of the past year. All 18 greens have been replaced with MiniVerde Bermudagrass, and noticeable changes also were made to holes 8, 13, 16 and 17, as the club begins its preparation to host the 2017 PGA Championship.

Toledo Defends: After beginning the final round seven strokes behind the leader in 2013, Esteban Toledo outlasted Mike Goodes and Gene Sauers on the third playoff hole to earn his first-ever Champions Tour win.

TOURS & ORGANIZATIONS

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